The owners of the iconic Susie Q fishing boat are hoping the vessel will be able to get a new lease on life, after serving the Lakeshore for more than six decades.
“My dad would probably be a little upset, because that was the main ship of the fleet – the Susie Q. That’s where we got the name of the fish market and everything. He was very proud of it. It’s a nice boat,” said Susie Q Fish Company owner Paul LeClair.
LeClair says deciding to sell the Susie Q was a tough decision, because the fishing boat has been part of his family and the Two Rivers community since the 1950s – when his father bought it from someone around Lake Erie.
“Yeah, it’s kind of sad. It’s the first boat I remember from when I was in grade school and high school. I fished on it. So, there’s a lot of history,” LeClair said.
LeClair says he’ll never forget the work he went through on the Susie Q to bring people fresh fish.
“Just catching 20,000 pounds in weight. That’s a half a semi load on this little boat. It was just about almost sinking, but you could hold a lot of fish in that little boat. It was surprising,” LeClair said.